I really don’t want to play Go!

Chapter 463 Reluctant Admiration
On the other side, a group of people were gathered around table number sixteen, intently watching the game between Yu Shao and Ishida Norio, completely unaware of what had happened in the game between Higashiyama Kaoru and Araki Norio.

The game between Yu Shao and Norio Ishida is nearing its end.

Even at this point in the game, both sides are still locked in a fierce battle, scrutinizing every single point.

Overall, Yu Shao, playing white, has a slight advantage. Although Ishida Norio is at a disadvantage, the difference in points between black and white is not significant, only seven and a half points short of the komi, and it seems that he could catch up at any time.

but……

Even though the difference was very small, all the Japanese players in the crowd had somber expressions, clearly indicating that they were not optimistic about Black's situation.

Because this not-so-large gap has been maintained for far too long. From the middle game to now, as we approach the endgame, it can be said that this gap... has been maintained for almost the entire game.

The game itself wasn't particularly exciting, lacking brilliant moves or a constant stream of ingenious strategies. However, given the complex calculations involved in the attacks, it wasn't exactly uneventful.

But ironically, the difference between these moves, which were neither particularly good nor bad, remained throughout the entire game.

"The gap was never that big from the beginning, and it seemed like the situation could be reversed at any time, but no matter how hard we tried, we just couldn't close that gap..."

A young man couldn't help but glance at Norio Ishida out of the corner of his eye, his expression inscrutable, silently thinking: "For Black, perhaps it would be better if White had a greater advantage than if things remained as they are now?"

The moment the thought crossed his mind, he couldn't help but find it absurd.

After all, the one playing black is Norio Ishida, the king!
How could he possibly think that, as the ruler of the throne, he would rather let his opponent gain an even greater advantage and defeat him outright?

However, immediately afterward, another thought popped into his mind.

Perhaps it is precisely because he is the king that he would rather be defeated by his opponent?

Throughout history, many brilliant and ambitious emperors have been obsessed with the pursuit of immortality. Perhaps they simply preferred to be stabbed through the chest by a rebel rather than be powerless in the face of birth, aging, sickness, and death.

For Black, isn't this scene on the chessboard akin to birth, aging, sickness, and death?
Thinking of this, he fell silent.

Ishida Norio's forehead was covered in fine sweat, his jaw was clenched, and his face was full of resentment. He stared intently at the chessboard, frantically calculating the various possible changes.

A moment later, Norio Ishida finally picked up a piece and placed it down again.

Yu Shao quickly picked up a chess piece and made a response.

Hey!
Hey!
Hey!
……

Finally, I don’t know how long it took.

All the major endgame moves on the chessboard have been completed!

All that remains are some minor endgame moves. Although these endgame moves are numerous and extremely prone to error, now that we've come this far, everyone knows that White shouldn't make any mistakes.

Continue playing until all the minor prizes are collected; the final number is meaningless.

Norio Ishida's hair was soaked with sweat. He looked at the chessboard in front of him and knew that the game had finally come to a conclusion.

In the end, he still couldn't say the words "I lost." Instead, he reached into the chess box, the chess pieces clicked, and he took out two black pieces from the box and slowly placed them on the chessboard.

This action already represents throwing the ball.

White wins in the endgame.

Upon seeing Ishida Norio throw the ball, Yu Shao immediately bowed to Ishida Norio, who returned the bow. Then, without a word, Yu Shao stood up.
"Mr. Norio Ishida ultimately lost to Yu Shao, this rising star... and in such a way, he must have had very complicated feelings."

Seeing that the game was over, the young man finally turned his gaze away from the chessboard and couldn't help but look at Ishida Norio, who had just gotten up, wanting to know what Ishida Norio's expression was after losing to Yu Shao, in order to glean some insight into Ishida Norio's inner thoughts.

However, when he saw Norio Ishida's expression, he was somewhat taken aback and felt it was unbelievable.

On Norio Ishida's face, there was no sign of disappointment, regret, or resentment. Apart from a few remaining sweat stains, he appeared remarkably calm, as if he had simply played a game of chess with a friend in his leisure time.

"It seems that Mr. Norio Ishida isn't too bothered by losing to Yu Shao..."

The young man watched as Norio Ishida walked away and was about to look away when he saw Norio Ishida suddenly stop halfway down the road.

The next moment, the young man saw Ishida Norio, who had his back to him, turn his head, turn his face slightly to the side, grit his teeth, and turn his gaze back to Yu Shao, who was still tidying up the chess pieces.

The young man was stunned.

It was a gaze filled with countless emotions: unprecedented resentment, deep pain, and anger, and even... a trace of extremely unwilling admiration!
But soon, Norio Ishida looked away and walked straight out of the competition venue.

Many people online were following Yu Shao's game, and when the game ended, the live stream was instantly abuzz with discussion.

"Wow, that was a brilliant play!"

"Strong, truly strong, I'm impressed."

"I thought it would be a tough battle, but although the situation was close, it wasn't tough at all. It was just a stalemate that lasted for so long, and I was on tenterhooks the whole time."

"That's amazing, Yu Shao! He's truly my idol. Damn, I was clenching my fists watching him!"

"Indeed, Yu Shao might actually win the championship this year. Winning the championship in his first time participating in the world championship would be making history, wouldn't it?"

"It's wonderful that such a genius is one of our players. I can't even imagine the despair a player from North or South Korea would feel."

The viewers in the live stream were incredibly excited, and many were filled with emotion.

They had expected Yu Shao to win, but they never imagined that Yu Shao could win so decisively against a formidable opponent like Ishida Norio, which completely exceeded their expectations.

"By the way, how are the other tables doing? How's the game between Higashiyama Kaoru and Araki No going?"

"Let me switch to another live stream... Oh? It's already over?"

"Arakino-sensei wins the dragon slaying battle?"

"Zhao Panfang, 8th Dan, is doing a live replay analysis. Go check it out."

The viewers in the live stream were somewhat surprised. Some went to look at the game record, while many others jumped directly to the live stream that originally featured the game between Araki and Higashiyama Kaoru to watch the professional player's analysis.

……

……

Inside the competition venue.

After tidying up the chess pieces, Yu Shao let out a long sigh of relief. Then he looked towards table number ten where Su Yiming was, only to find that both sides of table number ten were empty.

"It has ended?"

Yu Shao was somewhat surprised. He hadn't read many of Zhu Huai'an's chess records, but based on the few he had, Zhu Huai'an's level was definitely extremely high. Even Su Yiming would probably have to engage in a fierce battle with Zhu Huai'an.

Of course, all of this is based on the premise that both of them play normally. Yu Shao did not consider the possibility that one of them would make a big mistake, nor did he know that Zhu Huai'an would make such a big mistake in this game.

Because it was the round of 64, there were a huge number of spectators, and every table was packed. Yu Shao glanced around but didn't see Su Yiming or Zhu Huai'an. However, Yu Shao didn't pay much attention to it and quickly looked away. After thinking for a moment, he walked towards An Hongshi's table, and with some difficulty, he managed to squeeze into the crowd.

Yu Shao was actually a little unaccustomed to the fact that so many people were allowed to watch the Go world championships live. In his previous life, he was afraid of disturbing the players and wished he didn't even need referees and recorders.

However, upon further reflection, given the prevalence of chess in this world and the strong awareness of "not speaking while watching chess," the competition venue remained remarkably quiet despite the large number of people present, which Yu Shao found unsurprising.

An Hong-seok's opponent was no ordinary opponent either. He was Zhu Junze, a veteran 9-dan player from North and South Korea, who was about 30 years old and had once held the Tengen title for a year. Even though he failed to retain it, he was still quite formidable.

In this game, An Hongshi played black and Zhu Junze played white.

"Black has a winning position."

Yu Shao quickly assessed the situation and identified the key points of the game: "The key to victory or defeat lies in how the isolated black stone in the lower left corner can successfully live within the white territory. As long as it lives, white will lose."

"Moreover, even without in-depth calculations, just by looking at the shape of the stones, Black has a high probability of living. In other words, as long as Black doesn't make any mistakes, it will live."

Realizing this, Yu Shao fell into deep thought. Since Black had the upper hand, he tried to see from White's perspective whether White had a chance to turn the tide, that is, how to encircle and kill Black.

Of course, this can still be seen as a perspective from Black's point of view, because Black must consider how White will attack it in order to make a living group in White's territory.

The saying "the enemy knows you best" applies here, especially in Go. To win a game, you need to know your opponent better than they do.

"In the next move, it may be difficult for White to break through with a jump, and even if White touches it, it will be met with a counterattack from Black."

Yu Shao's expression became more focused: "Therefore, the strongest response for White in this local situation should still be—"

"dig!"

The next moment, Zhao Junze picked up a chess piece and quickly placed it down!

Twelve columns and seven rows, dig!
"Pretty!"

Yu Shao couldn't help but cheer for Zhao Junze in his heart.

This digging move is a bit hard to find, but if you don't find it, White can immediately put the board in the game.

However, it's not too surprising that Zhao Junze was able to find this move, after all, Zhao Junze is a player who has won titles by defeating many opponents.

"Then, facing this move, Black can either 'cut' or 'pounce'. If Black cuts, White can use its remaining strength to block and maneuver. If White pounces, White can extend, which is also very clever."

Soon, An Hongshi picked up another chess piece and slowly placed it down.

Ten columns and fourteen rows, pounce!
"It's time to capture. We can't capture any stones now. We're facing Black's sacrifice here, which is troublesome, but we can only extend." Yu Shao thought to himself.

Just as Yu Shao had expected, Zhao Junze quickly placed his chess piece.

Fifteen columns and ten rows, so long!
"Black, turn!"

Yu Shao gazed at the chessboard, lost in thought.

The next moment, the black piece landed, making a turn.

"Then, White connects."

White places a stone on the board, connects!

Hey!
Hey!
Hey!
In this way, Yu Shao kept calculating all the possible changes in his mind, as if he had foreseen the future. Every move he thought of coincided with those of Zhao Junze and An Hongshi.

Even in areas that don't overlap, there are other variations that have been considered. For example, a "lift" or a "stab" could work in a certain area. Naturally, it's impossible to make a completely clear judgment in such cases.

"White, next move, Ban!"

Zhao Junze picked up a chess piece and quickly placed it down!
Hey!
But the move was no longer the "bend" that Yu Shao had envisioned, but rather a retreat with seven columns and twelve rows!

Upon seeing this, Yu Shao couldn't help but frown slightly.

"Retreating would indeed be a win-win situation, not only blocking the outward movement of the black pieces in advance, but also setting up an ambush that can serve as reinforcements for a future encirclement."

"If a real local battle breaks out, you often need these seemingly inexplicable pieces."

"However, the problem is..."

What if Black makes a direct contact?

Click!

The sound of claws being grabbed rang out instantly.

The next moment, An Hongshi placed his chess piece.

Fifteen columns, five rows, bang!
Upon seeing this move, the crowd around who had been focused on watching the game suddenly froze, and then their expressions changed slightly.

"...A brilliant move!"

Among the crowd, Hans, who was also watching the game, pushed up his glasses and said with a very serious expression: "If White ignores the move, White's territory will be scattered by Black, so it must respond."

"I can't think of a response."

Hans glanced at Zhao Junze, whose ears had turned bright red: "Zhao Junze, a ninth-dan player, is probably just like me, which is why even his ears are red..."

"This move has the flavor of an unreasonable move. In the principles of chess, an overly aggressive 'pong' should be used with caution, but this 'pong' is just right, with great force that sends the brick flying!"

"To be able to pull off this move, Professor An Hongshi is still as strong as ever, or rather, even stronger."

"It's a pity that my form was so bad in this World Championship. I was defeated in the single-elimination round by Jiang Han'en and missed the chance to face off against Coach An Hongshi in the World Championship. It's really a shame."

"Seeing such a beautiful move, I really wanted to sit across from Mr. An Hongshi and have a match with him. Although we can play after the game, the World Championship is the World Championship after all. The mindset is completely different, and the game will be different."

Zhao Junze's expression was heavy, his lips were tightly pursed, and the veins on his temples were faintly bulging. He picked up a chess piece again and placed it down.

An Hongshi gazed at the chessboard, pondered for a moment, and then picked up a chess piece and placed it down again.

Hey!
Hey!
Hey!
Finally, after more than a dozen moves, Zhao Junze clenched his fist, but in the end, he let it go in dejection and said with his head down, "I lost."

On the chessboard, Black's pieces have made a living group, a decisive move that determines life or death. Since Black has successfully made a living group, continuing to persist is meaningless and only a waste of time.

"ended."

Yu Shao was not surprised to see Zhao Junze resign, not only because Zhao Junze did not make that move, but more importantly, because this was already a dead end.

Even if Zhao Junze really played the ban move, under that board position, it would probably be difficult to prevent Black from making a living group, even though Black's position seemed very narrow!

　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)